A Special Event (and You're Invited)

Introducing The Koru, a chance to connect further.

I recently learned that my subscribers to this newsletter span across 88 countries. That properly blows my mind.

62% of you are in the USA, representing all 50 states.

8% in Australia.

5% in the UK.

4% in NZ.

That is just so cool. Thank you.

It’s been just over 2 months since I launched this newsletter and many of you have already signed up at various tiers of donations (I appreciate you so much, thank you) but I want to now welcome you to the most special level of involvement that will be available only to my readers here on Substack. It’s called The Koru.

What is The Koru?

A Koru is one of the most dazzling parts of nature in the land I grew up in, in New Zealand.

It means ‘spiral’, loop or coil in Māori and it is used to describe the unfurling of a small fern frond.

What is so special about this phenomenon is that as the fern begins to grow outward in a magical spiral shape, other small fronds repeat the Mother move and start their unfurling within the spiral that is forming. It’s like an ever-unfolding chain of events sparked by one singular movement. I’ve been known to just sit and stare at this miracle of nature when I’m walking through the forests of New Zealand, hypnotized by its beauty.

My Father gave me a Koru necklace made from Pounamu (NZ Jade or Greenstone) two years ago. In Māori culture, Pounamu carvings can not be bought for oneself but must be gifted and when done so, the symbol of the Koru represents new beginnings, growth and hope.

When I thought about what I wanted this level of my subscribers to represent, I thought of a circle, but that seems sort of exclusive and not quite the right language. I then thought about the hub of a wheel. This space being like the centre where we congregate, and each reader like a spoke reaching outward, starting a chain reaction of ideas and inspiration.

But, it’s still not right. I want this community to be less like a wheel and more like a spiral. We are at once being led inward, and unfurling outward simultaneously, expanding with every gesture of reach. The outer coil of a Koru conveys perpetual movement, the continuous cycle of life and the interconnectedness of all living beings. The inner coil, with its rolled-up baby leaflets, suggest a return to the point of origin.

Aha! The Koru is the perfect symbol. Pronounced in Māori with a rolled ‘r’ or a soft ‘d’ if you’re new to using this movement of the tongue.

I will think of my subscribers in the Koru as my core community who I’ll be getting to know over the year as we’ll be gathering quarterly for Live Zoom events and deep-diving further into the topics I cover here on my Substack.

I love that by naming this space “The Koru” I can share more of the culture I grew up with. Te Reo Māori was infused into my early years growing up in New Zealand and many of the first songs I learned to sing at school were in this beautiful language. I even sang the National Anthem in Maori when I was 15 for an International Rugby game to 27,000 people (no pressure, right?) but I am not hyperlinking to that because some things are just fine being buried in little corners of the internet.

When you join The Koru (also known as Founding Members club in more traditional Substack contexts) you will have the chance to join these live events which will be exclusive to you and happening three times a year.

You will need to upgrade your subscription to be part of this space so if, after reading this, you feel like it could be life-giving and valuable to you, you can do that by going to “Manage Subscriptions” in your Settings, searching for this Substack and clicking ‘Change’. Here’s instructions on how to do it or you can also click here to start that process.

So without further ado, I am so pleased to announce the first event will take place on:

Dec 16th 5pm EST.

I. can’t. wait.

It’s Happy Hour on the east coast so bring a hot or cold beverage and for those tuning in from other countries, cereal is a perfectly acceptable accompaniment to the hang.

So what can you expect on December 16?

The live event on December 15 will be focused around a theme picked by you! I have volunteered suggestions below but you’ll be casting the vote.

I’ve asked my friend Dan Stone to moderate this discussion (he’s really brilliant) so he’ll be chatting with me about the topic that you all vote on ahead of time. I’ve chosen 4 different conversation points inspired from various posts I’ve made. I’m very curious to know which you’re most interested in learning more about.

Dan will also be taking questions toward the end of the event so we’ll all have a chance to connect more personally around the chosen topic of interest.

The event will not be available for playback, we’re going to embrace impermanence and let it disappear into the ether once it has happened! Feels more special that way doesn’t it?

So you really do have to be there to experience it!

Starting this newslettter has been so meaningful for me because I’m getting to share about the things I care about most. In most music interviews, I get asked a lot of the same questions which I understand is par for the course, but for this event I wanted to choose areas of life that I feel I have most to share on. From reading your comments, I get the sense that my readers are very creatively inclined, spiritually curious and wired toward self-growth, contemplation and the excavation of our treacherous, magical minds.
And luckily, this is basically all I think about.

So in the spirit of what I believe to be our common interests, here are the four Discussion Topics for you to chose from for December’s event. I’ve linked to the posts that inspired them so you can go back and read them if you missed them. In order to vote, just pick the letter (A, B, C or D) that corresponds to the theme you most connect with and we’ll go with the one that gets the most votes!

If your favourite doesn’t get picked, fear not, I will be hosting these events quarterly (the next one will be in March) so maybe we can bring it back for that month! Each event will be different too so you can expect surprises. I’d love to use these spaces to workshop new material I’m working on in the future also so one month might just be a small performance! We shall see where the unfurling takes us….

NOTE: You’ll want to join The Koru first in order to vote so now’s a great time to do it! It probably goes without saying that this is a beautiful way to support artists direct without a middle man and I want to thank you so much in advance for generously joining at this level if you choose to do so.

A) The Gift Of Disillusionment - Death + Rebirth

A discussion on how definitions of ‘success’, and perceived ideas about oneself can create limitation in an artists life. The death of these illusions (often through suffering) can give way to new clarity about what really matters. I’ll talk about the personal turning point in my career which came this year when I became very clear on what my actual role as an artist is. Many of these insights were inspired by the show I did at the Sydney Opera House. I’ll discuss thoughts on going against the status quo, artists I admire for this reason and how to break out of boxes we have built for ourselves creatively or otherwise.

B) To No Applause - The Protest of Silence

A discussion on the different ways to embrace silence, quiet and contemplation in the world. I’ll discuss my love of regular silent retreats, my own personal practice of prayer and the role that silence takes not only in day to day life but as a form of protest and activism in our world. This discussion will lean more towards our role in the world and how we can offer meaningful presence to the global moment through contemplation and action. I’ll also highlight my favourite activists and what I’ve learned through their life.

C) What I Say To Sticky Thoughts - Balancing A Scattered Mind

A discussion on mental health. The tools I have gathered over the years to manage various challenges I face in my persona and professional life. I’ll speak to various authors, teachers, creative experiments I have to ‘kink my think’ and present new mental environments to reframe difficulties. This will be an be an honest discussion reflection on the past few years and also looking forward to the committments I am making and hoping to cultivate with my community here.

D) Without Knowing - Nurturing Ephemeral Ideas into Form

A discussion on the process of writing. From wiry threads of inspiration to skeletons that move — I will unpack the ways I place my own stepping stones toward a house (song). Lyrics or melodies first? What technology do I use? This conversation will be geared a little more toward the mysterious side of creativity. The way an idea emerges from the ether, finds its way to my fingers and how I handle the challenges that inevitably emerge and some re-framing techniques to move through it. This discussion will be not just helpful for musical artists but for anyone who has an active output of creativity (aka everyone in some way!) and wants to go deeper and dismantle the negative inner-critic that can threaten our progress.

Cast your vote below! I’ll announce the winner one week prior to the event.

Mark your calendars people! I can’t wait to share this space with you.

I’ll send out a reminders for the event as it gets closer. If you can’t make this one the next Koru event will be in March!

See you on Dec 16! Don’t forget to vote!

Till then,